If you are looking for a good Korean restaurant in Downtown Vancouver, Denman and Robson is the area to be. Ma Dang Goul is one that I have been to, and recently I tried Damso Modern Korean Cuisine. Damso has two locations (one on Denman and one on Bute) and has generally received favourable reviews. I visited Damso on Denman twice recently and in this post I will review my experiences.

Damso Menu

Damso offers a variety of comforting Korean eats including 18-Hour Braised Beef Tongue , Korean Miso Stew, Tok-Kalbee Meatballs and Kalbee Osso Bucco. The items typically range from $7-$15 dollars. One of their more unique menu items is the Korean taco with secret gochujang chili sauce. The menu is available online via Zomato.

Cozy and Quaint

Damso on Denman is by no means a large restaurant, but rather cozy and quaint.

What I Tried

On my first visit, I had my favourite Korean dish which is spicy pork bulgogi for dinner ($11.99). I thought that Damso did a great job with the flavour – it was wonderfully sweet, savoury and spicy. The pork was tender and the sesame seeds sprinkled on top was a nice touch.

For my recent visit, I ordered a hot stone bibimbap, also one of my favourite Korean dishes. I enjoyed the spicy pork so much from last time that I decided to have it again with the bibimbap. Other vegetables that came in the sizzling hot stone bowl were Korean bean sprout, carrot, zucchini, spinach, mushroom and egg. Not the best bibimbap I’ve had before locally. The one from Gyu-Kaku has more flavour but this one from Damso is still okay.

Overall Impression of Damso

I would recommend giving Damso a try for their Korean comforting eats. The spicy pork bulgogi was delicious and is a dish worth trying. Service and portions were reasonable. I would definitely go back to Damso again. Rating: 4/5

On our trip to Toronto, my friend Dennis who now lives there desperately wanted to take us for some KFC. No, not Kentucky Fried Chicken but Korean Fried Chicken! I was not familiar with Korean Fried Chicken but quickly learned about the differences in style compared to the American version.

The Fry on Bloor

Our friend suggested The Fry for dinner and we made our way there one evening. Located at 524 Bloor Street West, The Fry is the chain’s Downtown Toronto Location (2 others are in North York). It is a small restaurant with several booths and dining tables. There was nothing too remarkable with the decor but the dim lighting set a dingy, pub-like ambiance. After all, beer and KFC are an ideal pairing.

The Fry Menu

The Fry has a salivating selection of fried chicken varieties including green onion chicken, soy chicken, spicy BBQ to name a few. There are also a few drumstick and chicken tender options without bones. The small fried chicken dishes start at $16 while the large sizes and specialty ones are upwards of $29. Yes, at The Fry, you can easily spend $30 on fried chicken.

Other dishes to complement the fried chicken include egg rolls, corn cheese, spicy rice cake as well as soups and stews.

What We Tried

To start, we had a complimentary corn cheese appetizer. Quite the comfort food with the melted mozzarella and the sweet and buttery corn.

Next up was the large green onion chicken ($18.99). It was wonderfully crispy and the batter was crunchy but light. The chicken pieces were not distinctly cut as identifiable parts of the chicken. However, they were juicy, tender and flavourful. The pile of green onion on top of the fried chicken added fun to the presentation. It went well with the fried chicken and offered a refreshing taste. Very good overall.

Finally, we had a spicy rice cake with seafood. I really loved the soft, glutinous texture and sweet taste of the rice cake. The sauce was nicely spicy and sweet; it offered a good change of taste from the fried chicken.

Service

What lacked the most at The Fry was the service. We had to call on our server to refill our water glasses and bring us more napkins.

Overall Impression of The Fry

The green onion chicken was delicious deep fried delight. Nice corn cheese complimentary app as well. The spicy rice cake with seafood had decent flavour. Service was lacking, but I would recommend trying out The Fry for their fried chicken. Rating: 3.5/5

There are many Korean restaurants in the West End, but Ma Dang Goul (MDG) has been one of our go-to places for Korean homestyle comfort food. Their food is tasty, portions are reasonable and prices are not the cheapest but fair for the area. The service has been good, but it can be a spotty whenever the restaurant is packed. Credit cards are accepted at MDG.

Ma Dang Goul Banchan

At MDG, side dishes include mung bean jelly cake, potatoes, bean sprouts, salad and kimchi. I always love the potatoes because they are so darn *sweet!* The server was attentive to us and brought us extra side dishes whenever we requested.

We found the kimichi to be on the sweeter side, but still very good.

Sizzling hot dishes at Ma Dang Goul

The dolsot bibimbap is pretty standard fare and does not disappoint. It was sizzling hot and there was a decent amount of ingredients. I know at some Korean restaurants they will mix it for you in front of you, but at MDG I just mixed it myself.

The doen jang ji gae (fermented soy bean simmered in broth with tofu and vegetables) was spicy and satisfied my husband, the spicy food lover. He found the broth very flavourful!

The doeji bulgoki (marinated pork grilled with Korean style spicy BBQ sauce) was also yummy: sizzling and on the sweeter side.

MDG is accessible by transit, within walking distance from Robson and has parking on Denman (if you can find a spot) or on side streets. Great homestyle Korean food for the comfort food seeker!